Alternative uses of lumen apposing metal stents

The advent of lumen apposing metal stents(LAMS)has revolutionized the management of many complex gastroenterological conditions that previously required surgical or radiological interventions.These procedures have garnered popularity due to their minimally invasive nature,higher technical and clinical success rate and lower rate of adverse events.By virtue of their unique design,LAMS provide more efficient drainage,serve as conduit for endoscopic access,are associated with lower rates of leakage and are easy to be removed.Initially used for drainage of pancreatic fluid collections,the use of LAMS has been extended to gallbladder and biliary drainage,treatment of luminal strictures,creation of gastrointestinal fistulae,pancreaticobiliary drainage,improved access for surgically altered anatomy,and drainage of intra-abdominal and pelvic abscesses as well as post-surgical fluid collections.As new indications of endosonographic techniques and LAMS continue to evolve,this review summarizes the current role of LAMS in the management of these various complex conditions and also highlights clinical pearls to guide successful placement of LAMS.

Endoscopic ultrasound fine needle aspiration vs fine needle biopsy in solid lesions:A multi-center analysis

BACKGROUND While endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)-guided fine needle aspiration(FNA)is considered a preferred technique for tissue sampling for solid lesions,fine needle biopsy(FNB)has recently been developed.AIM To compare the accuracy of FNB vs FNA in determining the diagnosis of solid lesions.METHODS A retrospective,multi-center study of EUS-guided tissue sampling using FNA vs FNB needles.Measured outcomes included diagnostic test characteristics(i.e.,sensitivity,specificity,accuracy),use of rapid on-site evaluation(ROSE),and adverse events.Subgroup analyses were performed by type of lesion and diagnostic yield with or without ROSE.A multivariable logistic regression was also performed.RESULTS A total of 1168 patients with solid lesions(n=468 FNA;n=700 FNB)underwent EUS-guided sampling.Mean age was 65.02±12.13 years.Overall,sensitivity,specificity and accuracy were superior for FNB vs FNA(84.70%vs 74.53%;99.29%vs 96.62%;and 87.62%vs 81.55%,respectively;P<0.001).On subgroup analyses,sensitivity,specificity,and accuracy of FNB alone were similar to FNA+ROSE[(81.66%vs 86.45%;P=0.142),(100%vs 100%;P=1.00)and(88.40%vs 85.43%;P=0.320].There were no difference in diagnostic yield of FNB alone vs FNB+ROSE(P>0.05).Multivariate analysis showed no significant predictor for better accuracy.On subgroup analyses,FNB was superior to FNA for non-pancreatic lesions;however,there was no difference between the techniques among pancreatic lesions.One adverse event was reported in each group.CONCLUSION FNB is superior to FNA with equivalent diagnostic test characteristics compared to FNA+ROSE in the diagnosis of non-pancreatic solid lesions.Our results suggest that EUS-FNB may eliminate the need of ROSE and should be employed as a first-line method in the diagnosis of solid lesions.